Means for protecting river banks



Feb. 25,l 1930. G. E. DuTroN 1,748,444

MEANS FOR PROTECTING RIVER BANKS Filed March 25. 1927 G@ 01:96 E. .D @M1514 oz y 40 Figurel is a plan view of the retard Patented Feb. 25, leso UNITED STATESg PATENT oFFlcE GEORGE YEDSON DUITON, OF vSI-II'LEITVIEEPOR'I, LOUISIANA MEANS ron rnorno'rme RIVER BANKS Application filed March 25, 1927. Serial No. 178,278.

This invention relates to a means for protecting the banks of yrivers `and the like and to a method of producing a retard `whereby n the desired protection will be afforded'.

The swift moving currents of some streams result in the washing away and caving of the. banks thereof with the result that disastrous consequences frequently occur.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient form of retard which, y'when erected in the stream at the point where protection is to be provided, will act to quiet the water, precipitate solids therefrom andl collect trash with the result that a sand bar 1li will be formed,`the same gradually increasingkin proportions until the current of water 'will nally be deflected away from the bank to be protected. j 1

Another object is to provide novel means whereby a mattress for use as a retard can be roperly supported within the moving bodly of water. f*

Another object is to provide a mattress of newandnovel construction which will actV efficiently' as a retard for effecting the pre-L cipitation of solids such as sand and the like.`

vllVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention resides in the comi bination and arrangement of parts and in the details of 'construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changesv Vin the precise embodiment vof the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

- In the accompanying drawings the pre-`v ferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings,

y posif tioned adjacent a bankiof a stream.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure k3 is a plan view of a portion of the ymattress constituting a part of the invention.

45. u -Referring 'to the figures by characters of Lreference lv designates a boom lconstituting a ioat, this boom being made up of one or more timbers suitably heldtogether and extending from the bank of the stream a desired disi tance'. It is preferred to have the boom infrom the outer .or Vfree end thereof to cone crete anchors 3 or the like embedded in the ground adjacent the edge Aof the stream. These anchoring cables are disposed at such angles as to holdy the boom substantially at the selected yangle while atthe same time permitting it to `rise and fall with the surface of the water.

Secured to the boom 1 is a coarse netting 4 formed 'of strong galvanized wire with a mesh of ythree kor four inches. The screen thus produced is extended upstream any desired distance although in practice it has been found desirable to utilize a screen approximately eighty feet 'in length. The width of the screen will ofcourse be'substantial'ly equal to the length of the boom and this boom or fioat can be of any length desired. `Additional anchoring cables 5 are attached to the wire fabric and are secured to concrete anchors. 6 or the like embedded kin the bed-of the stream so as to hold the net orl screen 4 in proper position at the up-stream side of the boom; The up-stream portion of the net is preferably provided with live wilf l adapted to rest close to or upon the bed of the stream and after the retard has been properly assembled for use the current will flow through the net. The mattress constituting :the facing of the net would serve to retard the flow of the water so that particles of sand or mud suspended in the water will be precipitated. Consequently a sand bar will be formedl gradually beneath the net as indicated for example at B. Furthermore trash will be collected by the upper portion 0f the Y net and, consequently, a supplemental or re- ,y Figure 1.V

tarding bank will gradually be built up with the result that the current will soon be deflected around the end of the boom and away from the original bank for which the protection was provided. f Y

It has been found in practice that the widths of wire fabric can be held together by threading the cables 5 Ythrough the lapping edges of said widths, the down-stream ends of these cables being attached to the boom.

To insure proper positioning of Vthe upL stream end of the wire fabr1c,a transverse,

cable 8 can be connected thereto, oneV end of this cable being anchored tothe bank, as

shown at 9 kwhile the other end anchoredV .Y i

in the stream asshown at 10.

F or thepurpose Vof preventingpscouring under the mattress it is designed to place rocks thereon as shown, for example at R, in

what is maimed is: f f A retard of the class described includingl a boom constituting a float, means diverging from the outer end of the boom to the shore Y y line and anchored beyond the shore end of the boom Jfor holding said booml against swinging horizontally, said means 1 being flexible, a wire neteXtending upstream from theV boom and having its lower edge engag# ing the bed of the stream, cables extending longitudinally of .the net and secured at one end to the boom, the other ends of the cables extending upstream beyond that edge of the net on the bottom of the stream,'means for i, anchoring said ends of the cables to the bed of the stream, means mounted on the upstream edge of the net for weightingit and holding it tightly upon the bed of the stream, and live willow sprouts interwoven with the lower portion of the net, the upper portion of vsaid vnet being left as anopen mesh fabric for the flow of' water therethrough, said open mesh fabric constituting means for retarding the water flow. Y

In testimony that .I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiiixed my signa-` ture. v

' GEORGE EDSON BUTTON. y 

